BASEBALL: Bogucki, Boyertown blank Perkiomen Valley in PAC-10 semis

BOYERTOWN — A penchant for playing close games has come back to haunt the Boyertown baseball team on several occasions this spring.

Monday afternoon, however, A.J. Bogucki, Dalton Hughes and Cory Fox helped ensure there would be no such drama in the Bears’ Pioneer Athletic Conference semifinal against Perkiomen Valley.

Bogucki continued his hot pitching streak by striking out 11 on a four-hit shutout and also went 2-for-3 with two RBI, Hughes was 3-for-3 with two RBI and Fox had a strong all-around game to lead Boyertown to a 6-0 victory at Bear Stadium.

Defending league champion and second seed Boyertown (13-8), which broke open a 1-0 lead with three-run fourth inning, advances to Wednesday’s PAC-10 final against top seed Methacton/fourth seed Phoenixville, set for Spring-Ford’s Ram Stadium at 7 p.m.

In weather more suited for a March scrimmage than a mid-May postseason affair, the University of North Carolina-bound Bogucki (4-2) cooled off the red-hot Vikings (14-7), who had won 11 of their previous 12 games.

“I didn’t have my best stuff, but the team did great today,” Bogucki said. “They played really good defense when I needed it, and the lineup putting up six runs and nine hits is really great to see at this time of the season.”

After both Bogucki and PV counterpart Andrew Schuler set down the sides in the opening frame, the Vikings had a golden opportunity to draw first blood in the second inning when Donovan Squartino led off with a single and courtesy runner Brandon Pierce took third on a two-base throwing error with one out. Bogucki, however, got a strikeout and groundout to end the threat.

“We didn’t take care of that opportunity,” Perkiomen Valley coach Ryan Hinkle said. “It always makes a difference when you can get ahead.”

The Vikings stranded another runner in scoring position in the third before the Bears broke the scoreless deadlock in their half with a rally that was vintage Boyertown.

Bogucki led off by reaching safely when his hard shot to deep short was scored an infield single, then Hughes laid down a picture-perfect bunt down the third-base side for a hit. Nine-hole hitter Eric Crowe followed with a similarly well-placed bunt for a successful sacrifice, and Fox’s subsequent grounder to short plated courtesy runner Austin Madeja to put the Bears up 1-0.

“We had some good at-bats,” Boyertown coach Todd Moyer said. “The key to today was that when we had an opportunity to change the game with bunts, we got the bunts down. We hadn’t been doing that. The big thing was putting pressure on with little ball, stealing some bases and doing things we can do.”

The Bears — five of their six league losses were by a single run — then broke it open in the fourth, when Bogucki delivered a two-run single and Hughes connected for an RBI single to make it 4-0.

That was plenty for Bogucki, who threw mostly fastballs and sliders in his 107-pitch effort.

“I didn’t really have a lot on my fastball today,” said Bogucki last year’s All-Area Player of the Year. “but my slider was a pretty good swing-and-miss pitch today.”

Bogucki, who lowered his ERA on the season to 2.06, has struck out 72 over 51 innings this season. He has a 1.50 ERA over his last four starts.

“He’s definitely pitching better,” Moyer said. “He’s getting more breaking balls over when he needs to, and he’s holding runners better. He’s done a better job being a more mature pitcher rather than somebody that can throw the ball hard.”

Fox — Bogucki’s batterymate — had two assists. He also doubled to lead off the fifth inning and eventually scored on a double-play groundout to make it 5-0.

“He had a strong game,” Moyer said of Fox. “He’s been working hard all year. He’s done a good job blocking the ball, and he’s a good leader back there.”

Hughes doubled in a run in the sixth for the final margin, and Bogucki got a strikeout to escape a two-out, two-on threat in the seventh.

“They played a nice little small ball game,” Hinkle said. “Hats off to them. Bunting the ball where we’re not, that’s typical Boyertown baseball for you there.

“We had opportunities that didn’t go our way. Stuff we could have capitalized on, but a couple things didn’t work out.”

Things worked out just fine for the Bears, on the other hand, thanks to an improved effort from their lineup that provided some rare breathing room.

“I’ve been telling them all year that playing in one-run games all the time helps you learn things,” Moyer said. “But at the same time it’s nice to have a little bit of a cushion for the pitchers so they can relax and don’t have to be so fine all the time when one hit can kill them.”

NOTESJay Jabs doubled and tossed two innings of relief for the Vikings, allowing one hit and one run while striking out two. ... Jackson Martin also had a double for PV, which stranded seven runners. ... Boyertown, which defeated Spring-Ford 6-5 in last year’s PAC-10 title game, is seeking its seventh crown since joining the league in 2003.